Body Language Basics

BODY LANGUAGE


Introduction

Body language is an important – and often decisive – factor in risk communication.
This is especially true of communicators, who need to show congruency between the
oral information and their body language when transmitting a message, because only
if they manage to do so will the message be effective. Body language is an element
in communication that we should be very much aware of because it gives clues to the
character, emotions, and reactions of an individual.

Our state of mind is expressed in our body language. For example, if we doubt
something we hear, we raise an eyebrow. If we feel puzzled, we scratch our nose.
We cross our arms to isolate or protect ourselves. W e shrug our shoulders to
express indifference. W e wink as a sign of intimacy. If we are impatient, we drum
our fingers. W e strike our forehead with our hand when we have forgotten
something. W e rock when we feel anxious, and we sway backwards and forwards on
our feet when we are in a situation of conflict. An inexperienced speaker in an
auditorium expresses his anxiety by moving from one side to another, staring at the
ceiling, walking round in circles, or rubbing his hands together.

An awareness of body language is often the key to successful personal relationships
and it can be the secret that enables so many people to manage others. Some
individuals seem to have the knack of interpreting body language and manipulating
people with their bodies as well as their voices. Knowledge of the body language of
the other person and the ability to interpret it make a person aware of his or her own
body language. This awareness, in turn, leads to greater self-control and more
effective communication processes.

If you are aware of what you do with your body, your self-understanding becomes
deeper and more meaningful. Once you manage to control your body language, you
will be able to cross many defensive barriers and establish better relationships.

Body language is an important component of communication and it is to our
advantage to develop skills in this area in order to be better risk communicators.


Definition

Body language is the language of gestures and postures. Studies of body language
analyze the emotions transmitted through movement, such as facial expressions and
the movement of eyes, hands, legs, feet, and the whole body. These studies show
us how the body language of a person can reveal to us his or her state of mind and
intentions, and personality traits such as self-confidence, shyness, aggressiveness,
greed, rivalry. W e can say that a person’s posture expresses his or her attitudes and
feelings.

2
The real value of body language is found in the sum of all the levels of
communication: oral language, visual language, body language, and imagination.


Genetic and cultural roots

It is difficult to determine exactly how a communication system is inherited or learned.
Darwin believed that facial expressions of emotion were the same in all human
beings, regardless of their culture.

Today it is considered that within a specific culture there exists a general agreement
to recognize the different emotional states. The human brain is programmed to raise
the corners of the mouth when the individual feels happy and turn them down when
he is discontent. Depending on the sensation that reaches the brain, a person will
frown, raise his eyebrows, or raise one side of his mouth.

The work of different researchers has shown that we can inherit in our genetic
makeup certain basic physical reactions. We are born with elements of a body
language. W e can make another human being aware of basic sensations of hate,
fear, pleasure, or sadness, without ever having learned how to do so. This does not
contradict the fact that we do also have to learn many gestures that mean one thing
in one society and something else in another.

The sound signals innate in the human being remain valid and continue to play
important roles. Unlike verbal signals, they arise spontaneously and mean the same
in all cultures. Shouting, sobbing, laughing, roaring, moaning, and crying transmit
messages to everyone everywhere. Like the sounds of other species, these signals
are associated with basic emotional states and give an immediate impression of the
state of the person making the sounds.

The human being has conserved his instinctive expressions: the smile, laugh, stare,
frightened face, and solemn face are signals proper to the species. These